ABSTRACT
The basic law regulating radio, television, and cable is the Communications Act of 1934. This law provides for use of the radio frequencies. It also singles out broadcasting as being special and different from all other uses. This chapter traces the origins and authority for government regulation, surveys the overall nature and status of broadcasting and cable under the 1934 law, and reviews sweeping changes to the law passed by Congress in 1996. The Communications Act of 1934 serves as the basis for regulation of cable television, telephone companies, telegraph communications, and such services as citizen band radios, police, shipping, and aviation communications via radio. Revisions to the Communications Act in 1996, court decisions, and FCC policy changes have blurred what was once a clear distinction between common carriers and broadcasters.
